What should a 1935 wheat penny weigh?
LouisDespres
Posts: 10 ✭
I’m extremely new at coin hunting/collecting but I came across something I can’t explain. I found a 1935 wheat penny that weights 2.71 grams. From everything I’ve read it should weigh approximately 3.11 grams. Is there anything I’m missing that would explain this anomaly?
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Best Answer
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Oldhoopster
Posts: 2,930 ✭✭✭✭✭
Blanks are punched from sheets of metal rolled to a specified thickness. The weight spec of 3.11 gms +/- 0.13 gms allows for some variation in the thickness, but occasionally parts of the sheet can be a little thinner or thicker. Technically, it could be an error, but at only 0.25 gms light, it would be considered minor and not have any extra value. In addition, it's a well circulated coin so there is the wear factor to consider.
Member of the ANA since 19821
Answers
There is a plus/minus tolerance for these coins. As minted, the lower level would be 2.98g but yours is a worn, circulated piece that would be expected to weigh less than when it was new.
Just wondering- why are you weighing pennies?
MasonG, thanks for your response. I thought the same as you at first but the coin hasn't worn off over 3 grams of material. I have much earlier coins (1911, 1917, 1922) that are worn much, much worse than this and they still weigh over 3 grams. It's strange. This coin weighs the same as the 1943 steely and the newer zinc clad pennies. As far as why I'm weighing them, it was a fluke. I just happened to have my scale on and open and plopped it on there.
Of course not. Otherwise, there'd be nothing there.
If it started out at 2.98g (lower limit for the type), it would only need to lose a little over two tenths of a gram to get to the weight of your coin.
If they started out at the upper edge of the tolerance range at 3.24g, they could still weigh over 3g with wear.
I see what you're saying but over two tenths of a gram is still a huge amount to be worn off. Since finding this 1935 I've gone trough about 200 early wheat pennies and the lowest weight I've recorded is 2.961 grams. Nothing even comes close. .2+ grams is a lot of weight to be missing from even the lower limit of 2.98. I don't have the answer but I don't believe it's a matter of coin wear. Thanks for taking time to respond, I appreciate it.
So maybe the coin was outside of tolerances when minted. It happens.
And exactly what are you looking for when you weigh all those coins? 🤔
If the coin otherwise looks and feels normal, the most extreme possibility is that the planchet stock was rolled slightly too thin. Added value? None.
I asked why people were doing this a while back, the answer I got: YouTube.
Okay, so I did mention in the first sentence of my post that I'm extremely new too this. Like everyone else I'm just looking for anomalies that might add value to a coin and also learn what doesn't. I appreciate everyones input but when a newbie posts a question it would be helpful to not treat them like an idiot.
I'm not sure what part of the posts above implied that you are an idiot.
It wasn't your post MasonG.
I'm just trying to understand where these habits come from. They were honest questions.
No one said you were an idiot. But you have clearly been getting some bad information. It's the same with many new posters.
In any case I'll be sure to avoid commenting on your posts so as to avoid offending you.
Thank you for the information. Very much appreciated.
First off I like that scale.
Maybe a picture of the back for wear?
But As previously mentioned, Probably just a light blank and circulation wear.
Welcome to the hobby.
Thanks, here's a shot of the reverse.
Here's the front, off the scale and in the same light as the reverse.
Sorry, that wasn't the front...
Here the front...
Oldhoopster summed it up perfectly. Planchet stock can be a little thick or a little thin causing variation in weight.
2.7 Wheatty ?
Research time. Fonts look...a little off.
Goodnight !
Quit wasting your time weighing coins . Few, if any, care about minor weight variations on most coins.
At what point in the die making process would result in different fonts? Answer = None. The letters are all on the master hub!!! Every 1935 working die comes from the same master hub.
PLEASE STOP CONFUSING NEW COLLECTORS WITH THIS NONSENSE!!! They are trying to learn.